Falling From Grace
by NastyLittleCuss
Summary: He stared down at the worn piece of paper with all of the names of those participating in the Great Game, only a few remain now, but with an innocent little vault dweller tossed into his life, Desmond's rivals in the game are now the least of his worries.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

**I am completely shocked by the lack of fans this magnificent bastard has. The minute I finished the quest on Point Lookout, I came to this site hoping to find a nice little story involving the great Desmond Lockheart and a Female Lone Wanderer, only to find one single story that hasn't been updated in quite some time. **

**I attend to change that. **

**Please Read and Review, even if anonymous, any little critique or compliment is much appreciated.**

* * *

**| Chapter One – Prologue - Desmond Lockheart |**

Murky waters rolled up to the shore. The fog that settled atop slowly thinning as the glow of the Five o' Clock sun slowly peaked out from somewhere behind the waves. Patches of dried grass were wet with morning due, lazily hanging to the side as if the small patches of moisture were weighing them down.

A curse from somewhere behind the hills was hissed, before the sound of boots slapping into the wet ground underneath could be heard.

He was panting and the man did not dare turn around to look behind him. The frantic sounds of barking had been quickly closing in on his frame, and he had to get the fuck out of sight before they pinned him down. The door to his safe haven was only a couple feet away, he was thankful, for the first time in a long time. But that quickly changed when he could practically feel the jaws of the dogs of war hungrily snapping at his heels.

Many different thoughts raced through the man's skull as he dashed for the mansion. Boney hands were outstretched in front of him so that he would be able to push in the large wooden doors and get himself in before one of the vicious dogs finally got to him.

'_Shit, shit, shit! I'm not going to make it! I refuse to get eaten by these fucking mutts!' _

Cloudy eyes with the uncanny hue of faded blue and gray widened as he quickly stumbled into his property, twisting his body out of the way of the sound that his mind interpreted was a gun shot before lunging toward the doors that were finally in reach.

'_Almost there…' _

The thoughts were flying through his head as fast as his hand flew to the knob of the door, getting a firm grip on it before flying through them. Spinning around in the process to shut the doors as fast as he had opened them. The door latched in place, securing his safety from the dogs which had been chasing him. He wheezed, face contorted in discomfort and a sharp pain in his stomach and knees from the running. Leaning against the doors and taking quick short breaths to try and composure himself. But even through out the dull pain, a slight grin appeared on the man's rugged face. Chuckling slightly at the futile attempts of the dogs trying to claw themselves in against the sturdy wood of the mansions walls.

"Safe. Fucking mutts nearly got a hold of me there…"

He spoke in a hushed tone to no one in particular, eyes reopening, only for the relief of the sudden safety to evaporate by the greeting of another terrifying surprise. The sight of mudded footprints were painted messily across the wooden floor, leading to somewhere behind the stairs, and the uncanny steel cock of a gun, which seemed to come from something heavy, was poking out from behind them. With out hesitation, he quickly dashed toward it, turning his body around to see the host of the fucking thing, only to see a demented stare looking back at him.

Backed with a gruff, and thick British accent, the man spoke to the impostor.

"And that is why I fucking hate you _American_ filth, you don't even have the goddamn common fucking courtesy to wipe your damned feet!"

Although sounding as if the discovery of the Tribal somehow getting into his goddamn home seemed to not phase him, fear actually enthralled the man's lithe frame, before he acted out on instinct alone and pulled out the holstered .32 Pistol that had been wrapped securely around his waist.

The impostors thicker body also twisted as he tried to align the barrel of his Hunting Rifle to the mans head, but the ghoul proved to be much faster as the trigger of his pistol sent lead flying at the hired hand's wide chest. The man gave a pathetic squeak of pain, as he flew backwards from the impact of the shot, smashing into the wooden floor beneath him. He looked down at the bullet wound that was embedded in his chest, face paling at the sight of blood leaking from within it. After staring for a moment, he looked pleadingly back up at the man, only to be met with his shooters cold and expressionless face.

"Desmond Lockheart. And I am _damned pleased_ to make your fucking acquaintance, now, do me a favor and try to die without bleeding all over my fucking carpet."


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own anything Fallout related, obviously. I only write Fanfiction. Please Read and Review, even if anonymous, any little critique or compliment is much appreciated.**

* * *

**| Chapter Two – Pondering |**

The tone of his words were vile and nearly as full of spite as the pistol which he carried. Completely ignoring his soft pleads for help, the ghoul turned his back to the wounded and dying Tribal on the ground and walked quickly towards the large doorway in between the two staircases that led up towards the second floor of the mansion, two canines were patiently waiting and watching their master, seemingly used to this sort of systematic execution. Heads tilting curiously and both of the animals wagging their tail in slight joy as the man phrased them both.

"Good work pups. I sincerely believe that is the last of those cocksuckers we'll see today! Don't you two agree? Of course you do."

The two dogs stood up from their relaxed positioned on the wooden floor and walked towards their master, happily sniffing at the mans bloodied suit as the ghoul paid them no mind and walked inside of his little office. But of course, not before turning back to the still breathing body of the tribal laying behind him.

"…Stupid fuckers will never learn. I guess it is doing the world a favor though. Putting every last one of them down… fucking inbreds."

Desmond gave a slight shrug, he didn't care for the fact that he had killed many men over the past few days. He also didn't care that death was now littered all around him. So long as it meant getting the fucking point across. The more those goddamn Tribal's showed up on his doorstep, the more fucking tedious it was all becoming. The _'Great Game'_, this disgusting _'New World'_… His _life_.

_Hmph._

No matter. As long as it got him closer to killing the one responsible for this whole mess. Then he was quite alright.

"Rest up, Geri, Freki. For there will be many more inbred bastards to deal with in the morning. Oh… _joy_. What bloody ol' fun we will have when the time comes again…"

The two dogs stared up at the ghoul with content looks on their faces, and while Desmond knew damn well they didn't have a fuckin' clue what he was saying, he once again didn't care. Because the sound of his own voice, was at times what kept him sane.

He made his way toward his solitary chair facing a large group of many surveillance cameras scattered around the premise of his _home_. Sighing in boredom before leaning forward a bit. His elbows fell down to the wooden desk in front of him and his chin slowly followed to rest in his hands. Keeping a close eye on the monitors in front of him, trying to see if another small horde of Tribal's were marching their way toward the mansion.

"…"

Slowly, while staring blankly at the bright lit and uninteresting screens, the ghoul began to ponder. Something he had thought of before, many times in his youth. What happens when a person dies? While the logical side of his brain believed that upon death, all there was left was just an eternal oblivion of nothingness, that didn't stop the old man to _hope_ that maybe beyond this life was a much more blissful existence. A happy place where people who led good successful lives went to. But that notion always caused Desmond to scruff about how absurd that idea was. As much as he did hope it existed, and he bloody well did, he knew he wasn't going to be the first one in line to walk passed the golden gates of heaven. Or whatever it was called nowadays. Besides, he always leaned towards the idea of a much more suitable place for him. A place of eternal _damnation _and _misery. _A place he surely fantasized all of the enemies and rivals he had taken down in his long life had surely perished. And when his time came, Desmond would gladly except that fate.

But, hell, the thought of him _ever_ dying was an _absurd_ notion in itself.

He put that thought out of his mind, though, as those cloudy eyes of his glued themselves on monitor number three. A ruined brow slowly raising in curiosity as he quickly stood up from his chair and leaned closer towards it to get a better look at the screen. For on the monitor, a young girl _(He mused at the fact that almost _everyone_ was damn young compared to himself) _Walked aimlessly around the ruined and forgotten pier just down the hill from where his house stood.

The girl quickly caught his attention. Maybe it was due to how she looked. Very clean. Her skin seemed spotless, almost. Pale and untouched. No scars or dried dirt caked on her face. Her hair was also quite neat looking. Not dirty and knotted. Not dead and tangled. It was quite clean. A prim and proper look to it, actually. Something he hadn't seen since before the Great War.

Or maybe it was her clothing. She wore a strange looking blue jumpsuit with a heavy black coat that went a little past the back of her knees. And a generously full ammo belt tightly wrapped around her petite waist.

But, even though those things were the most noticeable features of her oddity, those were not what caught his attention. It was her expression. She was different and misplaced. She didn't look like she belonged _here_. To this Wasteland. She almost looked like she had never seen it. Curious and oblivious to it's dangers. She was… _innocent._

For long moment, Desmond found himself enthralled by the girl. Staring at her as she looked worryingly at his home, as if wondering if she should risk advancing toward it, or just go explore somewhere else. Slowly, he peeled his eyes off of her and looked back towards his two resting dogs and spoke to them in a tone that they have become quite familiar with. One with anger.

"Bah! Seems like the fucking bastard got himself some more hired help. And he has the bloody nerve to be sending me some damned little princess after me. Does he think I'm that fucking weak! Fool!"

Sitting himself back down on his chair, a nasty snarl on his face, cloudy eyes flicked angrily across the rest of the screens. But, that angry snarl slowly flicked into a wicked grin on his disfigured face as his eyes landed on monitor number seven.

"Seems like the fat one hasn't bled out yet. He should fucking thank me because he is finally losing some of that weight, right pups…"

It wasn't a question. Not like the dogs would be able to answer him, anyways.

After taking a quick gander of every one of his monitors, his eyes found the girl, still walking around aimlessly in monitor three. Her eyes now directed to what he would guess was the ocean. His head tilted this time, wicked grin not entirely leaving his face but becoming slightly crooked. He didn't understand why her appearance bothered him so damn much. He knew that simply killing the bitch would end all speculations and would put his mind at ease. But for now, he wasn't quite sure that was what he wanted.

"… Little princess's shouldn't come to this shithole, you know… they should stay put to whatever little settlement their from… Idiot…"

During that little statement he mumbled to seemingly no one this time around, the ghoul absentmindedly brought his hand toward his brow, trying to rub the annoying headache away but only managing on bumping his fingers into his glasses. He flinched a bit, grunting before slipping them off.

He stared down at them. Tilting them around in his hand. Small scratches adorn the lenses and small dents on the temple arms causing them to become slightly bent… one of the very few items which he owned _before_ the Great War.

"_Congratulations sweetheart! I told you that if you worked hard at it you could earn that fucking promotion." Beautiful green eyes were overjoyed as their owner wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Bringing the tall man closer to her form as he too embraced her. _

_The couple stood like that for a few moments before separating, but still holding each other tightly. _

"_Look at me now."_

"_Look at you now! You showed those bastards that you belong to the best!"_

"_How could they have doubted me? Imbeciles!" _

"_Oh now, sweetheart." The woman pulled away from him. A pretty beige dress adorn her form as she walked across the room. Ebony hair pulled upward in a proper and sophisticated bun as she made her was toward a cupboard. A mischievous grin adorned her lovers face as he watched her sway. A small chuckle leaving his throat as he stalked after her. _

"_Hey… Where are you going, darling? If you're as proud of me as you say you are… perhaps you can indulge me…" _

_A slight chuckle came from the pretty woman as she turned her head to face the man, who was now leaning against the doorway hintingly._

"_Oh, _Lockheart_… You say that like I don't indulge you every damn night."_

"_You have such pretty language."_

"_Oh, fuck off! Like you don't enjoy it."_

"_Never said I didn't it. But, it does things to me…"_

"_Will you be patient! I got you something!"_

_A dark brown brow rose slightly. Dull blue eyes blinking in slight surprise as the man peeled himself from the doorway and walked slowly towards his lover. _

"_What do you mean?"_

"_A gift, you limey! What else?" This time the pretty dark haired woman twirled around with a small box in her hands. Red lips pulled upward in a happy smile as she slowly motioned him to take it, which he tenderly did. _

"_I… I got you a new pair. I know you're essentially blind with out some specs, so I figured that you could throw those old ones out and that you'd like these new—" _

_A small squeak escaped the woman's mouth as she was brought into a heated kiss and tight embrace. Slowly, getting over the sudden act of affection, the dark haired beauty slowly returned the kiss as once again, her arms wrapped around her lovers neck and shoulders. _

He had dosed off. Eyes closed as he leaned back against his chair. A content and relaxed expression on his face as his eyeballs moved behind closed lids. That memory was one of many that haunted him daily. And every time he remembered them, he wanted to end this wretched 'Great Game' even more. Desmond didn't care what it took to finish it, so long as he was the last one remaining and all the other players were put in the ground. As long as he turned out to be the victor.

Desmond sat up, easing his glasses back on his face, groaning lazily as he looked back at monitor three, only to see that the girl that was once standing there, was fucking missing. Cloudy eyes widened instantly. Quickly scanning over all the monitors, hoping to spot her on any of the rest, but it seemed she had gotten herself in a blind spot.

"Bloody hell! Where the fuck did she go?" He stood up from his chair instantly, walking towards the front door of his domain. "Pups! Come on!" He yelled to them as he finally reached the double wooden doors. "I want you to find that broad and scare her off my fucking property. GO!"

Freki and Geri had followed after their master the minute he had walked out the room. At the command they were given, they quickly obeyed and walked out to the front of the mansion as Desmond opened one of the doors for them. He watched blankly as the two dogs began to frolic playfully in the yard and trotting around slowly as if they were on a fucking walk in some goddamn park. Desmond closed his eyes in frustration and shook his head, before slamming the door shut.

He quickly made his way back towards his office, his mind drifting back to the young girl and how she reminded him so much of his own…

'_Fuck! Why the hell does this girl have to be here? Fucking bitch had to show up right in the middle of a goddamn war. If those damn pups don't show her what happens when someone fucking trespasses she is going to wish they had.' _

While Desmond was thinking, he settled back into his chair and stared at the monitors. He noticed that the bigger man he had shot earlier had finally died. But, what really caught his attention was that the little princess had now entered the frame of monitor two. Slowly working her way across the front lawn toward the doors. But she seemed to be hesitated. Young face looking uncertain as if she half expected a monster or something to pop out.

'_Where are those bloody dogs… they should have been gnawing on that bitch by now!' _

Getting visibly annoyed now, after fucking realizing that he was by far the only reliable thing left in the Wasteland, he ran his decrepit hand down his scarred face. Glaring at the monitor the girl was in before noticing that on monitor five, another group of Tribal's were marching towards the mansion. Staring intently at the monitor with a glare so full of hate that if looks could kill that whole group would have been nothing but a bloody pulp by now.

He hurriedly rose from his chair and quickly grabbed his shotgun and exited the room. Walking towards one of the many windows and stared out into the Wasteland. From a distance he could see the group progressing towards the mansion, something he wouldn't have noticed hundreds of years ago due to his horrible eyesight, but becoming a ghoul did have it's perks.

Desmond looked out the window frame and noticed that the Tribal's were spreading out a bit, probably to surround the house. But all that really meant to him was that he'd be able to blast each one of their heads off one by one without much of a problem.

The ghoul hid to the side of the window and pressed his back against the wall. Grunting as he cocked his gun and slid down to the floor, right under the windowsill. He was waiting. Waiting for one of those cocksuckers to burst into his front doors. Quickly, he peered out from the slant of the window, and was surprised that instead of a goddamn Tribal outside, the girl that he had sent his dogs after, was now nearing his front door instead.

"…Got to be fucking kidding me… Damned idiot is going to get herself killed…"

As quickly as he had said that, cloudy eyes widened as they spotted one of the Tribal's with a hatchet in hand, slowly sneaking up on the oblivious girl, who seemed to be staring at the mansion with some sort of idiotic look of awe, none the wiser that her head was about to be chopped off.

Suddenly, with out any hesitated, the ghoul hopped up from his hiding place and cleanly shot the bastard right between the eyes. Teeth gritted and eyes wide in confusion. He slowly lowered his gun, panting.

'_Why __the fuck did I just give my position away for…'_

But before he could even finish that thought, the sound of the girls shrilled scream rang out through out the entire fucking property. No doubt getting the attention from the rest of the tribal's. She must of felt the bullet past right by her face, because now she was fucking bolting toward the doors. Most likely trying to find cover from the gunfire.

"Oh goddamn it!"

Desmond quickly dashed towards his office, plucking as much ammo from his desk that he could, before going towards his intercom.

"_**YOU!**_"

His eyes were on the monitors, teeth gritted in fury at the sight that most of the Tribal's had found their way inside different sections of his house, their figures now clouding most of the screens. But quickly stealing the chance to flick his eyes on monitor one, the one that showed the girls shocked and wide eyed expression as she stared at the door, obviously hadn't expecting to hear anybody.

"**YOU'RE NO TRIBAL! GET IN HERE AND HELP BE FIGHT THESE BASTARDS OFF, GODDAMNIT!**"

* * *

**DaLover **– Thank you for being my first reviewer and I hope you'll be a constant fan of this lil story of mine. :B And I hope so too! Thanks honey.


	3. Chapter 3

**Before I get comments asking about it, all of Desmond's past is just _MY_ theory of how his life went down and what caused him to be such a cold-hearted bastard. It's not canon by any means, and it also shouldn't effect what _YOU_ think happened in his life. A lot of Fallout characters have no back-story and Bethesda pretty much lets you think up one for them on your own accord. So, this is how I like to write Desmond. Apparently his life has been long and messy, so I'm trying to portray that in the way that I feel is appropriate, and the way that I feel will be interesting to discover more of the character himself. Hope none of you mind me twisting the story into my liking. And if you do, well, YOUR LAME. **

**I do not own anything Fallout related, obviously. I only write Fanfiction. Please Read and Review, even if anonymous, any little critique or compliment is much appreciated.**

* * *

**| Chapter Three – Names |**

Decapitated bodies littered the ground on the first floor. Crimson and sticky puddles seep through the wood and the sound of lapping from the two dogs could be heard as they guzzled up the blood as if it were water.

The last of the Tribal's are either dying or currently being shot to death. The sounds of gunshots could be heard on the second floor as the ghoul made his way toward another Tribal who was on his knees as he begged for his life. His face was tear stained and his eyes were swelling with fresh ones. But the ghoul showed no emotion as he roughly shoved the barrel of the gun to his forehead. _Click._ Nothing.

"…Bloody fucking Americans, can't make a reliable goddamn firearm. It's a fucking shame really."

The kneed Tribal sighed in relief thinking that he had been spared, but that moment of gratefulness ended when the ghoul quickly took the Shotgun with two hands and began smashing the Tribal's skull in.

He continued to beat the man long after he was dead, seemingly annoyed with the entire situation, before stopping eruptedly at the sound of the door behind him cracking open.

'_Fucking kid is without manners…' _The ghoul quickly grit his teeth in frustration before tossing the unreliable Shotgun to the side. It flung across the room until smashing against the opposite wall. Surely leaving a dent in the wood, but not as if Desmond cared about such things.

Cloudy eyes flicked to the figure at the door. And he was almost surprised, because even though she was covered in blood and bruises, she still looked… _innocent_.

She was slightly hunched over, most likely from falling two goddamn stories down to the basement. Her heavy coat had been discarded, and all that clung to her was that odd blue jumpsuit with little bits of scrap armor connected to the fabric. She seemed to be admiring the house around them rather then paying any sort of attention to him. Which was just bloody fine because he was busy admiring _her_ anyways.

_The way she stood there, curious and wide-eyed, made the ghoul drift back to a quick memory of his early childhood. Recalling the moments when he would push the doors to his house after a torturous six hours of school only to have his father come yelling from the upper floor: '__**Learn to close that fucking door**__!', and such. Remembering moments when his father would punish him by forcing his arms to stretch out in front of his body and repeatedly bring down a thin stick_-(Smaller then his thumb, of course)-_down on them. _

_His father was an odd man who's view points were that of the olden days. Whenever he hurt his son it wouldn't be the usual beatings. No, Desmond's father punished him in different ways. Always painful, and always drawing _blood_, of course, but never the usually punch or kick. It was always with a stick. If not a stick anything he could get his hands on to bluntly hurt the boy. _

_There was only one single time his father had ever actually used his own hands to harm him, and that had been a firm back-hand from when Desmond came home crying from getting bullied. _

_It was always in order to _'produce a better man'_, as his father always said. Always to make him stronger, tougher and more independent and unreliable of other people. His father simply _hated_ it when Desmond would quickly flee to his mother after one of these beatings. Hated it because it totally defied what he had been trying to teach his son, and because he knew that his mother would start an argument over it. _

_Unlike his father, Desmond's mother was a loving women. And gentle. And kind. It must have been because she was young and had more patience then his father, who happened to be fifteen years older then her. She would always protect and defend him. Yelling at his father to stop being so cruel and to learn to give up the old ways and to live with the new. Such discipline was looked down upon now, and that he didn't disserve such treatment. But in the end, Desmond came to respect his father. Because as much as he laid his hands on him, and as much as his parents would argue, his father never lifted a single hand to her. And Desmond always admired that about his father. _

_He couldn't help but find it humorous at how he turned out. _

Slowly coming out from his thoughts as the sound of wood cricking caught his attention, his eyes refocused themselves on the young girl, who had taken a step forward, eyes still flicking across the room in curiosity as if she was staring at a room filled with goddamn gold or something.

'_This girl could use his guidance…'_

He roughly scoffed, getting her attention instantly. "Well well, It seems I've invited you into my home, and now you take full advantage of my fucking hospitality. Don't you know how to fucking knock, you bloody ingrate?"

The girl jumped a bit out of sudden surprise, that quickly froze into fear at the sight of the mutilated body behind him.

He eyed her with a raised brow. Noticing how large her eyes had gotten_-(He noted that they were hazel, hues of light browns and gold that swirled into one small orb. He decided to ignore the fact that he actually found himself liking them)-_and how distressed she actually looked now.

'…_Well of course she isn't going to say anything. Fuck, look at her, she looks like a goddamn deer in headlights for fucks sake. She is going to be completely fucking useless to me… goddamnit… The old man would of loved her.' _

"… _Hmph_. So, my hero, huh? Think you came and rescued me right in the nick of time?" He muttered, walking across the dining room that they were in. His decrepit hand sliding across the wooden long table before he made himself out of the room and toward his office between the stairs. "Not hardly. Had it all well in hand. And I didn't even need to use the failsafe." He stated. Turning around to see if she had followed him. She had. "But that would've done a real number on the _paintings_, so just as well you were here… Anyway. Name's Desmond. Desmond Lockheart."

The girl seemed to be a tad worried. Fingers tangled together in nervous fidgeting as she eyed him curiously, head tilting to the side. Maybe she simply did not trust strangers. Or maybe she was like most of her kind and disliked ghouls. Maybe she found him terrifying. A brain eating zombie or something. But her eyes started to slowly brighten_-(He noted)-_at his sarcasm and she politely introduced her self, an innocent smile spreading across her blood smeared face.

"I'm Evelyn. But you can just call me Eve."

Desmond's eyes locked on hers instantly, his expression turning sour. He looked her over with a disapproving glare and shook his head, causing her smile to falter in confusion.

"Tsk. Well, _of course_ you fucking lazy Americans insist on goddamn nicknames, rather then using the name you were given. I supposed I can't blame you, though, your parents were probably as much of Neanderthals as these bloody Tribal's."

He gave the beaten and bloody pulped body behind him a sharp kick, in which cause the young girl to jump back as fear took a hold of her once again. He couldn't help the wicked grin that spread across his face as his back was turned to her. The thought of the girl being so easily frightened reminded him of some sort of rodent. Hard to catch but easy to _crush_ under his palm. He had known there was something strange about her when he had watched her from the monitors… her reaction influenced that thought.

"Perhaps you can redeem them. Was there any hidden meaning behind that name of yours? You know, something that gives you a merit for _hating_ your parents enough where you rather use a prefix over the whole. I'm sure every time you _insist_ on being called _Eve_ they must think that you hate them."

The girl seemed to grow sadder the more the ghoul talked, Desmond of course, didn't care. Because he was right. He was _always_ right. The wicked grin hid under a stoic expression as he turned to face her again. Not wanting to give her the pleasure that he indeed was finding this entertaining. After years of solitude in this bloody mansion with only his two pups_-(Where the fuck were they, anyways?)-_ To talk to, another human being who hadn't tried to blow a fucking hole through his skull was rather refreshing. Even if she wasn't talking much at all.

_He was named after his grandfather. _

_Desmond never actually met the man. Apparently he had died before Desmond was even born. But his father would talk highly of the him, telling old stories on how his grandfather was the one that taught him how to shoot a gun, how his grandfather faithfully served the British Armed Forces for her Majesty. And how he had gone Missing In Action when his father had just been only ten years old. And how painful his grandfathers funeral had been. _

"_You must remember," His father had told him one day. "You are a Lockheart. Our names will go down in all British history and we must keep our names from being soiled. You are the last in line, your mother and I— Well, let's just say, you're not going to get any little brothers or sisters anytime soon. So you must remember, you have a responsibility, you must honor our name, understand?"_

_Desmond had only been around thirteen when his father had suddenly brought this on. He remembered feeling another fucking weight on his shoulders. As if his young life wasn't filled with enough expatiations already. _

"_Life_."

The sudden quip from the girl tore him out of his memories unexpectedly. Cloudy eyes flicking to the girl instantly as she seemed to be fidgeting nervously again. She must have noticed his confusion, because she slowly began to speak up again, explaining.

"M-my name. Evelyn. It means life. At least, that's what my dad always told me. I never really knew for certain. But, I believe him. It suits him, really… He's a Doctor… or… _was_… Hmm…" She shifted, hazel eyes that had been hiding under a curtain of ruffled yet clean and untangled auburn locks slowly rolled up to make eye contact with the ghoul in front of her. "…People just always tended to shorten my name to Eve, even when I was young… s-so… I got used to it."

"Well, the people who call you Eve, _obviously _hate you. If they had just a morsel of respect they would spend the extra fraction of a fucking second to correctly pronounce your full name." He must have surprised her, because the look on her face was priceless, it took all the fiber in his body to hold back the laughter he wanted to throw at her face. He turned around again, this time walking into his office instead of lingering under the stairs over another dead body, quickly going toward his table and shuffling things to the side, trying to find something. A little sigh of relief did indeed leave his throat though, at the sight of his two pups happily licking blood off their chomps as they lazily laid on the floor. "And while your father is indeed correct in the meaning of the word, he obviously is one with a sense of humor because that same word also means _to desire_. Sounds like your ol' daddy believed you would be a prostitute, kid." He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth once he finally found what he was looking for, the 32. Pistol he had discarded earlier.

"…Look. Thank you for… everything, really, but I must be on my way. I came to Point Lookout on a mission, and I doubt you'll be much help unless you have seen a women named Nadine?"

He couldn't help to grin, this time visibly and he knew she caught a hint of it. She was just how he had expected. Innocent, oblivious and _stupid_. She even had the gall to thank him. Thank _him_! As if he has actually done anything for her, he should be the one thanking her. But he wouldn't, because he didn't need her help to bloody begin with. She had just been at the right place at the right time, and pretty fucking _convenient_. But he did admire that little _sass_ she had given him. Maybe she wasn't as low as a rodent then he had expected. Maybe she was a puppy. Still easy to squish to death, but at least she'll leave some nice little bites on him to remember her by.

"Nadine, huh? I've been around a long goddamn time. The last time I knew a bird named Nadine, I still had skin." He stated, turning around to face her, leaning back against the wooden table as he held the pistol up, slightly tapping it against the side of his temple. "There was some girl who came noising around here a few weeks back, but she ran off before I could… _introduce_ myself." The grin on his face grew even wider, darker. If by introducing himself meant to set his pups on her trespassing ass then yes, before he could _politely_ introduce himself…

The girl in front of him shifted slightly. A sigh leaving her throat before she shrugged and turned on her heal. "Well, then there really is no point of me sticking around." She searched around the first floor for a bit, before quickly grabbing the heavy coat that she had draped over the stair rail before she had gone to aid him with the sudden Tribal attack. "Once again, thank you for everything. But, I have to go now."

Desmond 's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't expected her to really leave, so the sudden departure and determination to reach the front doors caught the ghoul off guard. A sudden ping of _unexpected anger_ enthralled the man and he didn't even think it through before he was already stalking after her wake. "Now hold on there…" And suddenly, he had dashed toward her, quickly twisting around so that he had gotten in her way, blocking her path from the front doors and her only exit from the mansion. "Not so **fucking** fast!" He had flashed in front of her so quickly, she had even bumped into his chest. A small _'oof!'_ escaping her throat as she winced and stared up at him with wide eyes. "You could still be useful to me… You're not from this shithole you have no bloody qualms here, and I need someone willing to get their hands dirty."

"B-but I-I'm searching for someone, I just told—"

"More of a fucking reason to help me then! Those Tribal's are bloody everywhere, while they might be fucking imbeciles you could still get the information you seek if you simply ask them…" He wrapped a firm hand on her shoulder and twirled her around, roughly shoving her back into the mansion and away from the front doors, enjoying the terrified little squeak she gave. "So here's the deal: I help you get in with those Tribal's, you help me get what I want, and I'll make you fuckin' rich!"

"And why should I help you again?" She suddenly twirled around to face him. Her brows scrunched up in a angry scowl as she looked up at him. Cheeks tinted slightly red-_(In anger or in fear, he wasn't sure)_-and those big eyes innocent eyes of hers were darkened with a sudden burst of bravery. "What's the point? It's not like I'm gaining anything if I do."

But Desmond wasn't born fucking yesterday and he knew damn well that under that sudden anger and pride, underneath those big eyes of hers were still a sharp sting of fear, just waiting to erupt if he scared her enough.

And he would.

"…Why should you help me, huh? Well, let me ask you something. What's the difference between you and me, kid? What makes a gifted killer like yourself into a rock-hard bastard like me? Hm?"

The girls angry glare faltered, an auburn brow raising as she eyed him in confusion.

"No comment, huh? Well, the answer is _**TRAINING **__YOU IGNORENT __**FUCK**_!" And just how he has suspected, that little angry scowl had been ripped off her face so fast it was almost comical. "I've got a _hundred _years of experience on you, and don't you forget it!"

The girl's face was one of surprised sheer terror, the poor thing hadn't expected the ghoul to suddenly scream at her that way. She blinked, trying to hide the fact that he had actually caused her knees to shake before answering as slow and steady as she possibly could.

"…W-what d-do you w-want me t-to do about T-tribal's?"

He eyed her, brow still narrowed in frustration and rage but he slowly licked his lips, eyes fluttering closed as he calmed himself. "You need to learn to pay attention when I speak…" Eyes fluttering open again, his hands slowly rose up to fix his the tie around his neck before walking passed her toward his office. "Those mud-lovers want me dead, and haven't extended the common fucking courtesy of telling me why!" He turned to face her once they were in his office, watching as his pups stared at the girl in confusion. They were probably wondering why he hadn't siced them on her yet. "So, I need you to find a way into their commune and figure out what's going through their _addled _little heads…"

"Uhm… Okay, but how do I infiltrate them?"

"_Easy-peasy_. Right now they'll be wondering what happened to their little hunting party."

"A-and you really think they'll just let me in like that? Won't they know I'm… different?"

Desmond blinked, well, that was probably the smartest thing she had said this entire time. But, he shrugged, and went back to his monitors, ignoring the fact that his pups had gotten up from their lazy nap on the floor and had gone to sniffle at the girl in curiosity, which she seemed not to mind.

"Look kid, these are people who think cutting a hole in their fucking skull will expand their mind… They're not exactly _scholars_ over there… Just head up to the Cathedral, and ask _real_ nice. When you're in you'll find the bastard in charge and find out what exactly they are up to. No need for violence… _yet_."

"Do you know why the Tribal's were attacking in the first place, uh, _Mister_?"

He rose a brow at the title she had decided to give him. Eyes staring at the uninteresting monitors, but he couldn't help but smile_-(An actual smile, not a grin or smirk like usual)-_at it and chuckled slightly. "Ah… No, not a fuckin' clue, kid. It'd be easy to chalk it to their crazy religion. But if I'm right, and I _always_ am, there's something else going on here." He turned to face her again, bored of the empty monitors, and rather keep his eyes on something that was rather… _good_ to look at. In an entertaining way, of course. "That's the third attack in a month! So somebody's got a grudge with me… Wither it's a man or a _god_ I intend to set them straight!"

Evelyn had been busy ruffling Geri's fur, while running her palm up and down Freki's furless body. She had a sweet little smile on her face as she pampered the two pups, and they seemed to rather enjoy the attention. Apparently she was a dog person. Like him… _Interesting_. Didn't most women prefer kitty cats? _Victoria_ did—

She turned her head to face him the moment he stopped speaking, eyes looking at him intently. She had been listening after all. "Oh… I see… Well, if it helps me find Nadine, I guess it couldn't hurt…" She slowly stood up, away from his pups and flicked her eyes around the room before looking back at him, the small smile still on her face.

"…Heh. Now there's a good _lass_." He quickly walked up to her, grabbing a hold of her shoulder and twirling her around before basically dragging her toward the front doors. "Be a good _pup_, and Ol' _Mister _Desmond will give you a treat… And of course, who knows what riches they have for you to steal!" Before he shoved her forward, making her yelp slightly before she caught her self on the wooden doors in front of her. She turned to look at him, her brow narrowed once again, but kept her mouth shut. And slowly slid out of the mansion.

His eyes had grown wide, a strange and wide grin spread across his face. Teeth clenched slightly before looking down at his loyal pups who had found their way toward their master, murring slightly as they rubbed their cheeks against his pants for attention.

"Heh... Guess the little princess isn't _too_ bad... She just better come back with my bloody information…" While Desmond dared not show it, there was something about the girl that entertained him. _Enthralled_ him, like she had when he first saw her on monitor three. He actually found himself _hoping_ she would come back…

"…Well." He slowly took steps backward, away from the doors before turning around completely and going back to his office. "Back to business."

* * *

**Greeke The Freak** – Thank you for the comment, even if it was short. :) and hopefully my little story will attract a flock of Desmond fans hiding out there.

**Anonymous** – Why thank you! :D Can't have enough fans :

**FancyLadySnackCakes** – Seeing_ YOU_ review my story was like seeing Christ reborn. I am such a _fan _of your erotic ghoul stories, I love them all! Especially the way you write Charon, always so very _yummy_~ I've always wondered why I hadn't seen a Desmond story in your collection, and now I know! Yesss, he is a very hard and cruel character to portray, I actually think I made him a little to nice this time around. But I'm glad I'll have you as a fan. I feel honored. :D

**Kris** – If there are more Desmond Lockheart FanFiction other then mine and the one other on this site, please let me know! I would love to read more of his fictions. :) And of course it's always, fun, thank you!

**DaLover** – Yay! I'm glad you'll be a content fan of mine. :) And I don't mind the double post, haha xD But yesh, meaningful specs for Desmond. I'm glad you liked that snippet. Thank you for reviewing!


	4. Chapter 4

**UGH. This chapter was a fucking bitch to write. Such a long and annoying writers block, forgive me all!**

**I think it's for the fact that it was revolved around the Lone Wonderer and how her personality is, and how her past was. Desmond is a lot more fun to write about, but, I need to introduce the Lone Wonderer in this story so that the readers can get a better feel about her.**

**So yes, this story is mostly Evelyn based. Not a lot of Desmond unfortunately. Still, it was a crucial to the story. Because you see, the title of this fiction, is really mostly about her, not Desmond. But, I will make that apparent in later chapters.**

**Enjoy! Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take this long!**

_**(And to all my reviewers who asked me to not drop this story, are you kidding? It's Desmond FUCKING Lockheart. There is no way I'd drop this. :D) **_

**I do not own anything Fallout related, obviously. I only write Fanfiction. Please Read and Review, even if anonymous, any little critique or compliment is much appreciated.**

* * *

**| Chapter Four – Childish |**

Small foot prints smeared across a muddy path. A small gasp, a shiver, and little pale hands poked out from long oversized sleeves to tighten the heavy coat around a petit body. Evelyn had walked a good few steps away from the mansion before curiosity got the best of her and she turned back to see if the ghoul had been watching her depart. He wasn't.

She halted. Eying the mansion in longing to return into it's warmth. To it's safety. The poor girl had only been here for half a day and she already didn't like it. This Point Lookout was much too foreign for her. Much too gray and cold and sad. She missed the familiarity of the Capital Wasteland. Of the golden sun, the heat. And the familiar faces of those she had befriended.

But, too late on turning back now. She had promised Catherine she would at least look for her daughter, and Evelyn never broke her promises.

"…Ya know, I think that Desmond guy is a bit of a jerk." She spoke to herself, quite loudly. "I admit he saved me and all. But, c'mon! Who says that! My friends didn't hate me. Especially not my own dad! But… he did save me. Maybe I'm too quick to judge— Dogmeat? Boy?" She stopped speaking and looked around frantically, before remembering, she had left her companion back in the wonderful Wasteland she so longed to return back to. She blinked, giggling softly to herself as a rosy blush colored her pale cheeks. She must've look pretty silly talking to herself that way… An even stronger reason she missed the Capital Wasteland.

It had been a long time since she had left her Vault. But she had always had someone traveling with her, keeping her company. Wither it was a random passerby, a Caravan that didn't mind her following them, or her trusty dog, she had always had someone. And now, in a foreign place, far from the Wasteland, with not even her dog by her side, she felt truly alone.

She sighed, innocent and embarrassed smile faltering in slight sadness and fear, before clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth and looking down at her wrist. Or, to be more accurate, her beloved Pip-boy.

Reaching the top of the incline, Evelyn turned back around to look down the hill and realized, it was much bigger than she had originally thought. But she smiled anyways, because there were no more bothersome hills to climb.

Turning around, the young girl continued forward walking toward a dying tree and running her small fingers along the bark as she walked. At that moment, a thought came to her mind.

'_Ghoul's seem to have rough skin. Don't they? Everyone I see looks different as far as their… umm, texture goes. __It seems they are also quite rigid; it sort of reminds me of a tree! __A tree is rough, and always has a unique feeling to them. __It is almost like a ghoul could be a tree!'_

Obviously, Evelyn's innocent and childish mind didn't comprehend how completely stupid that thought was. And false, too. But it was just a way to keep her from becoming completely bored while traveling alone.

She walked close to every tree that passed her way, her arm stretched out to run her soft fingertips to glide across each bark, marveling the scenery around her. To any other Wastelander, everything about Point Lookout must have been the same old uninteresting and ugly view. But for a Vault Dweller, this was all so lovely. Especially all these trees! Back in the Capital Wasteland, mostly all the trees were dried and withered and dead, so she hadn't seen many interesting ones. But these trees! It must have been the humidity from the island that had them so beautiful and tall! Alive and full of leaves! She loved them. So, their sight was a beauty to observe. At least for her.

As she continued onward, she came across a _colossal _tree! Excited, the naïve young girl ran towards it, and once close enough, she halted. Eyes widening, before reaching out and placing both her hands against it. It was just as thick as all the other trees, but easily three times as tall. Just as she gleefully walked around the tree, running her hands across the rough bark, Evelyn's eyes landed on something that was out of the ordinary among the rest. There, hanging from one of the twisted branches, was a doll. It's little feet adorn in black little shoes, with a dirtied pink dress with blotches of discoloration from exposure of the sun, long and tangled blonde hair, and a rope around it's neck, tightly wrapped around like a noose. Despite her curiosity, Evelyn refused to touch it. Just, stared at it with morbid amusement.

The doll reminded her of her childhood, and how she used to play with her best friend Amata. And thinking about Amata, reminded her about what Desmond had said earlier. That all her friends and family hated her just for shortening her name to _'Eve'_. She quickly shook the thought away and slowly reached for the doll, smiling.

* * *

"_It means _love._"_

_Evelyn stared up at her friend as she sat on the cold floor. Head tilting and eyes blinking rather fast before gasping? "Really! Amata means love? Wow… that's so beautiful." Evelyn exclaimed, causing the Overseer's daughter to raise her chin high in pride. _

"_Mhm! My daddy said so himself! Said my mama named me that herself. Because I was their little love." _

"_Wow! That's _sooo_ cool! … I don't even know what my name means… My daddy never told me-"_

"_I did the honors of finding out what it meant for you!" Amata grinned, her pretty brown hair tied up in a messy pony tail and dark brown eyes sparkling as if she had done quite an extra mile for her best friend._

"_Guess what it means! It means life!"_

"_Lo-… Oh. Life?" Evelyn couldn't help her sweet smile to falter. _'Life'_ what the hell was so interesting about _'Life'_? That wasn't as cool as Love! How… plain! But she nodded in amusement anyways and watched as Amata giggled and plopped down on the floor in front of her._

"_Mmmmhm! Life! Interesting, huh? My name means Love... yours means Life! It's awesome!"_

"_Y-yeah… it's great. Super cool…" She muttered, rolling her eyes to the floor in slight disappointment. "…Life… I mean, Life is cool… Life… yay." _

"_I also found out what _Eve_ means."_

_The hope that rose in her eyes must have been priceless! "Really! Is it different then 'Life'? Is it?"_

"_Yup… it means, short for Evelyn, silly!" Amata giggled loudly and Evelyn's face faltered into slight annoyance as Amata fell down on the floor next to her, cackling wildly. "Hahaha! You gotta admit, that was a good one! Hahaha… come on! It makes sense. Eve… it's short! Just like you!" The Overseer's daughter hopped back up to her feet, once again showing off, this time about the good four inches she towered over her friend, who happened to be a few months older then her._

"…_Oh shut up, Amata…"_

* * *

As Evelyn reached her tiny hand out, smiling all the while, she grabbed at the doll and slowly twirled it to face her. She regretted doing so the moment she did. The dolls plastic face had been melted into deformity, one of the doll's glass blue eyes had been burnt into nonexistence, and in the empty eye socket, devious little insects fell. The sight of the doll horrified the girl and set her back, and by doing so, her foot landed upon a stick, and a loud sound radiated from the cracking wood. The sudden noise terrified the girl, and she shrieked and bolted blindly forward.

Running around trees, ducking under branches, she ran and ran. The poor naïve girl, wasn't excepting the descending hill before her, and only shrieked louder when she found her self tumbling downward. Luckily for her though, she landed on her side, so as she rolled down the grassy hill, her body wasn't being tossed around… at least not _too _much.

Her tiny frame finally reached the bottom of the hill. A grunt escaped her lips as she winces at the pain. Her tiny body had banged and bashed against small stones and scrubs. Painfully, she slowly sat up. Slowly running her palms around her body to see if there were any serious abrasions or cracked bones. "…" She sighed in relief. Everything seemed to be fine. She slowly sat back down and let her self softly lay down on the grass. That was quite the painful experience, left the poor girl hurt and exhausted. Laying there, aching in many different places, and staring at the slightly yellowed sky, forever ruined it's once pretty and pure blue color by the atomic bombs, Evelyn thought back to her times in the Vault again. And a crooked smile spread across her face at the memory of all those times she'd get into fist fights with Butch. And how that tumble down the hill, didn't even compare to how they fought.

* * *

_Blood trickled down her smooth face and dripped into a small puddle on the cold floor below. The thirteen year old boy that caused it was standing above her, small but rough hands clutched into tight fists as he taunted her._

"_Watcha' gonna do, huh, _Nosebleed_? Gonna go tell your daddy on me again?"_

_The little girl slowly pushed herself up to her feet, her hands lay on her sides, flat and pressed against her small hips. Big hazel eyes were turning red as she fought back the tears as hard as she could. Butch smirked and flicked his hand toward her, but this time pointing to somewhere behind her._

"_Well, go then! Go daddy's girl! I'm sure doctor daddy is waiting to patch that nose up again and rat me out like always… Well? Go then!"_

_Evelyn's tiny hands clench into little balls suddenly and without giving the bully any chance to react, she punched him square in the jaw. The sudden hit caused the boy to bite his tongue before falling backwards and slamming hard against the floor. _

_Her eyes widened in surprised at what she had just done. She had _never _hit Butch back. She just never had the courage to do so. She'd usually run and hide behind Officer Gomez or her father. Or just let him have his way with her if she couldn't find either of them in time to protect her. But, look at that! She had finally hit him back! Oh! She couldn't wait to tell Amata about this…_

_And suddenly, Evelyn was snapped out of her thoughts and the sight of Butch quickly getting back on his feet, and twirling around and lunging at her. With a loud yelp and jump, it was once again like before, and she bolted down the hallway while he chased after her. But she couldn't help but smile, because now she knew damn well that she could inflict a pretty big bruise on her attacker. And she figured out, she wasn't as weak as she thought. She could defend herself now._

* * *

Eyes snapped open, and Evelyn quickly sat up. Brushing the grass and dirt from her body before looking around where she had fallen.

"I'm wasting time…" She muttered to her self and quickly got up. She forgot about what Mister Desmond had asked her to do. And about the promise she made to Catherine, about finding her daughter, Nadine.

Turning around, she noticed the cathedral was within eyesight. Happily, she walked towards it with a slight limp, which slowly faded with each step. Approaching the side of the building, Evelyn walked along the width of the wall, until it turned and revealed a rusty and chained up iron gate. She blinked and got closer to it, wrapping both hands on two of it's steal bars and looked at the massive cathedral behind it. She eyed the large wooden doors, brows narrowing in frustration. Now… how was she going to get in there…?

Her eyes caught something on the side of the building, and a grin spread across her face at the realization it was an intercom of some sort. She quickly walked toward it, eying it curiously before happily pressing the button… nothing. She frowned. She pressed it again. Still nothing. Confused, she turned her back to it, trying to find another way of getting inside before a statically male voice rose from the intercom.

"**Hark!**_ Who goes there?"_

With a loud _'eep!'_ and a twirl, she was facing it again. Eyes wide with shock but she quickly composed herself walking up toward it once again and pressing at the button.

"Uhm... Hi. I'm just, um… searching these parts and-"

"_Who lingers at the threshold of transcendence?" _

"What? Oh! I mean! M-my names Eve- Evelyn! I'm… Uh… I'm… I-I s-seek the wisdom of your people! Yes! Yes I do!"

"_What's this? A humble traveler, seeking the guidance of our awakened minds? Truly, this is a glorious day!" _

"Um… yes? Yes it is! A glorious day indeed!"

"_You are from far away, and must be strong indeed to have traveled this far!"_

"…Why yes." She grinned in pride. "I am quite strong actually…"

"_But strength is nothing with out the enlightened mind."_

"And I do come from—Wait. What? What do you mean it isn't enough!"

"_I'm sorry child. But if you seek entry, you must be prepared to expand your consciousness. You must prove yourself worthy to transcend!" _

"I am too worthy!" Evelyn exclaimed in a childish manner, huffing up a bit before snapping back at the intercom. "I have no fear! I will take your test! And I will be victorious!"

"_You may not be so brave when you face the Ritual of the _Mother Seed_. Stronger souls than you have attempted it, and have _lost their minds_._ _Venture west to the great bog, and within you shall find the mother of all Punga! She stands taller then a man, and her vines guide our future. Collect her seeds, and kneel before her wisdom. Only then will you be ready to enter these sacred halls."_

The intercom then cut off and the males voice hid behind white noise. Evelyn stood there, dumbfounded. After she had heard him say, _'Stronger souls than you have attempted it, and have lost their minds'_,she had stopped listening to the rest. Suddenly, Evelyn's sudden pride and confidence hid behind uncertainly and fear. She had bitten off more then she could chew with this one, she was sure of it. She gulped, licking her lips nervously before slowly backing away from the intercom and turning her back to it. Taking a few steps forward, and eying the mysterious forest in front of her.

'…_What did he said again? Something about going west, right? Or was it east! No. It was defiantly west… and what the hell is a Punga? And how is it possible it- she stood taller then any man? Oh my god… is it a monster!'_

She shook her head. No. No no no. She was scaring herself. She shouldn't let childish things like that get to her. She was on a mission, after all. Trying to find the runaway and bring her back to her mother in the Capital Wasteland. She nodded to herself, regaining all of her lost confidence— but soon afterwards, losing it and turning on her heel, running away from the forest in sheer fear and uncertainness, and running passed the cathedral, and back down the hill.

She was heading back to the mansion. Back to Desmond.

* * *

**Now, for anyone who asks… Evelyn is not dumb haha. She might come off as an idiot in this chapter AND the rest of the story, I know, but she isn't. She is actually very intelligent when it comes to certain things. She does indeed have some talents **_**(Not the usual FUCK YEAH MY LONE WONDERER CAN SHOOT THINGS FROM OVER THE HILLS BEATCH)**_** but they'll come up and become apparent in later chapters. I always figured that a pampered Vault Dweller like the Lone Wonderer would be quite dense and confused and curious about the outside world. I never understood stories when a Lone Wonderer was skilled as all fuck in such a short amount of time. So, I'm making Evelyn come off as a bit naïve, childish and innocent. She doesn't know a whole lot and asked far too many questions and makes way too much mistakes. But she is far from dumb, you shall see in later chapters!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Originally was going to be a response to 666 Pein and Anon _(bitched out on giving me your real user name, and you have the audacity to insult my story lol)_ at the end of the chapter, but decided to post it at the beginning so that more people would read this.**

**Yes, Evelyn is a wimp/pussy/etc, but she's _supposed_ to be. That's the main reason I even decided to write this story. I was tired of seeing so many female Lone Wanderers that were _SUPER BADASS_ and unrealistically skilled to the point they could shoot a fucking mole rat miles the fuck away with a pistol. Or ones that had randomly become druggies for no real logical reason. I wanted to make my Lone Wanderer that was a bit more realistic, one that had grown up with a doctor as a father, who knew better then to do drugs. One that spent her life shooting Rad Roaches with a shitty BB gun. And one who was incredibly pampered and had lived her _entire fucking life_ in a clean and sheltered environment. **

**She's supposed to be this naïve/stupid/innocent. That was the entire point. Even the title of the story _'Falling From Grace'_ is more directed to her then at Desmond. She's supposed to be the one _'falling'_, the one that in later chapters becomes corrupted and broken. And just because she's nineteen years of age, doesn't mean she has to be incredibly matured. And ever heard of dumb luck? Yeah, she's full of that! Just cause she's naïve and enjoys to stare at trees in fascination, doesn't mean she can't shoot things and kill them. **

**Anyways, this is only the forth chapter of the _ENTIRE_ story, and it's also the first chapter that Evelyn's character is truly revealed, there will be more about her past in later chapters. But to put it simply, I wanted to make her this way as a challenge. I wanted to see how much I could twist a character and completely change them slowly until the climax of the story where they're finally broken down and forced to lose their innocence and mature. And who else is cruel enough to help me with that? Well, Mister fucking Lockheart, _of course_!**

**I do not own anything Fallout related, obviously. I only write Fanfiction. Please Read and Review, even if anonymous, any little critique or compliment is much appreciated.**

* * *

**| Chapter Five - Sleep |**

Behind his abode, Desmond stood over a corpse. Standing still, he looked over the ocean as the sea breeze swept over him, if the salt filled air irritated the ghouls face, he did not show it.

The sun had already hid behind the sea, and the darkness had swept across the entire island. Nothing but little bright stars covered the sky, as well a big round moon to shed a tad of light into the darkness.

Memories of a time simpler then this swirled through his head as he absent mindedly stood there, seemly reliving these memories through his skull. Days when he would drive ten miles from London toward the ocean, and just lazily sit back on a bench with an arm draped over a petite and smaller body who leaned lovingly against his own. Days when tiny hands filled with seashells reached out toward him and happily exclaimed: _'Mum, _Dad_, look!' _

He had heard her. And it was enough to make Desmond snap back into his senses. That memory had been so clear, he had actually heard _her_. He quickly took a quick glance around, to make sure there really wasn't anyone around, before he snapped his harsh gaze back downward, and quickly lodged his foot into the deceased mans rib cage. The sickening crack of broken bones and flesh echoed around him, the sound quickly made Desmond forget about the memory, and instead a sly grin spread across his face, before shoving the body off the edge of the cliff. He listened as it tumbled downward, until a large splash indicated it had finally hit the water below.

"About fucking time! Really, disposing of these morons can be such a pain in the arse." He stretched a bit, bones cracking through out his body, before closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side, grunting as his neck cracked as well. "…Who the fuck do they thing they are anyways? Coming to try and kill me… those ignorant pieces of trash should really learn that being my enemy isn't a fucking way to proceed happily with life… Morons."

The ghoul turned around and started walking back to his mansion. Watching as his two pups play-wrestled in the darkness. Their cute half-hearted growls filled the air and he couldn't help himself from rolling his eyes. "Stupid pups…" He muttered to himself as he passed the two, who only looked up at him with wagging tails, before going back to frolicking. While he did love them, the sight of the two overgrown dogs playing made him realize how truly dumb they were.

Entering his mansion, Desmond slowly closed the front doors, quickly leaning his forehead against the surface of both, before sighing and pulling himself away, and lazily strolling toward his little office in the back. He was so goddamn tired. Which was odd for him, really. It wasn't unusual for him to go days with out sleep, he was actually quite used to it by now. But, _fuck_. Tonight… he would love to go to sleep and just forget about everything. For at least a few hours.

He finally walked into his office. Licking his dried lips and half-mindedly rolling his eyes to look at the monitors before he made his way upstairs to his bed. Only to notice, that the girl he had sent to the cathedral earlier, was standing in his goddamn yard.

Genuinely surprised for once, cloudy eyes widened behind scratched lenses before he leaned forward and looked closer at the screen, before exclaiming. "…You've got to be fucking with me!"

The sleepiness he had felt all but evaporated as he quickly stormed toward the front doors, and practically threw them open out of sheer frustration, and right as he did, the girl had only been a few feet away from reaching them. She jumped a bit, obviously surprised at the sudden introduction. And for a good few seconds, the two simply _stared_ at each other. Eyes wide and unblinking. It was almost comical, really.

Finally, with a rough lick of his lips, Desmond decided to break the silence. "…Alright, kid. I'm going to give you one chance, and one fucking chance only, to tell me… What the fuck are you doing back so soon!"

Tiny hands began fiddling with each other, a nervous tick of hers, as those big hazel eyes quickly flicked downward in both fright and embarrassment. "…W-well… I s-sort of need… some help…" She muttered, a pink blush coloring her cheeks as she refused to look up, and just stared at the floor.

Desmond, had been staring into those big eyes, actually. And when she had looked away, it had annoyed him beyond belief. He had always dreaded when people wouldn't talk directly to him. People who did that, were _weak_. Like a dog with it's tail between it's legs, cowering in a corner.

She was just like a puppy. Weak and helpless. Easily crushed…

Teeth gritted behind dry lips and without a second thought, his decrepit hand shot outward and roughly grabbed at the girls chin. Causing her to whimper a bit, before he tilted it upward so that they could be at eye level again. "…Of course you fucking need my help." He stated, head tilting to the side as his fingers tips pressed down on her soft flesh, not enough to hurt her, but just enough for him to memorize the feeling. "People for the most part are fucking inconsistent, and can't do anything on their bloody own anymore…" Scoffing a bit, Desmond slowly let go of her chin, and stepped to the side, gesturing for her to enter the mansion.

She blinked, head once again looking downward, before quickly stepping into the warmth of the house. While he closed the door behind her, she couldn't help her self from smiling a bit, and quickly poking at her chin in childish amusement and innocently thinking to herself: _'Just like a tree…'_.

"What the fuck do you need my help with?" He slurred as he walked passed her, snapping the girl from her thoughts and looking up at him. He looked back at her, eyebrow raising before shrugging his shoulders. "Well? Do you need me to brush your hair? Do your nails? Or are you really an idiotic child that has daddy issues? I'm going to tell you right now, princess. I'm not your fucking daddy and I have no damned intention of becoming so. Now please, stop wasting my time and tell me what the fuck do you need my goddamn help with."

Evelyn's face saddened from listening at the harsh lecture, but she tried her best to calmly reply. "… I need to know what the Punga Queen is."

"The fuck?"

"…I don't know. It's what they said. The Tribal's won't let me enter the cathedral until I face the Punga Queen... But I don't want to go find it with out knowing what it is, so I came back. I figured you'd know something."

"Well I know what the fuck a punga is, but with those idiots, the '_Queen_' of it could be anything. Were you able to find any other information on it? Or did you come back without goddamn anything? If so, I'm going to be disappointed in you…"

"…I-… I just came back, Mister. I was worried. I mean, you don't even know what the Punga Queen could be..."

He stared at her for a minute, understanding her caution, before sighing and muttering a cluster of curse words under his breath, and walking off toward one of the stairs, quickly climbing it onto the second floor, and leaving the girl behind in confusion.

After a few moment, Desmond finally returned down stairs, a little amused at the sight of his pups in the house, seemed that the girl must have opened the door for them, as she herself, was sitting on the floor with her palms happily scratching the back of Geri's neck.

He growled loudly, getting the girls attention instantly, before bringing his palm high so she could see it. "Alright. See this? This, is a fucking punga. It's that goddamn fruit that grows all over the fucking place, these fuckers tend to eat it and it drives them a bit loony as you can tell. They even started worshipping the damn stuff. But I've never heard of a fucking _'Punga Queen'_ or whatever the fuck they call it. You should have fucking found out though!"

He tossed the fruit at her and was surprised she had caught it. He half expected the girl to miss and instead it would have hit her between the eyes. What a delightful sight that would have been. With her dumbfounded look covered in muck. He walked back into his office. Watching as the girl tilted her head and began to feel the fruit.

"Can I eat it?"

"What?"

"Is it dangerous if I eat it?"

"Well, if those tribal's worship it, I suggest there is something wrong with it… I've eaten one myself before, nothing happened. But I wouldn't take my chances and eat one every goddamn day either."

The girl eyed him for a bit, before shrugging and suddenly took a nice big bite out of the fruit in her hands. Her eyes widened, she didn't expect the slight explosion of juices that came from it when she locked her teeth. The sweet liquid spurred into her mouth, filling it quickly before it started dripping down her lips, overflowing unto her jumpsuit.

Desmond watched the carless girl in silence, fighting the urge to simple _gawk_ at her. It was almost as if she was trying to make a bigger mess, and honestly, he _didn't_ mind. It was quite a wonderful… distraction. The way her pink tongue poked out from between her soft lips to run across her bottom lip. Trying to scoop up the sticky substance and pull it back into her mouth. He continued to stare intently down at her, his lips twitching into a faint smirk before she popped the last piece of the punga fruit into her mouth, bringing her sleeve up to wipe the rest of the juices off of her mouth. The minute she looked back up at him, the smirk vanished and was replaced with an angry expression, as if annoyed that she had taken so long eating.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

"Not anymore…"

"Oh. Well. That was good!"

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed your fucking snack. Now, take my advice and try to stay away from those things. Eating too much might make you go bonkers."

"Nope! See?" She shook her head, reaching her arm toward him so that he could get a better look at her Pip-boy. "It reduced my radiation level. It must be good for you."

The ghoul barely shot the contraction on her wrist a glance before looking straight at her, eyes half lit in boredom. "…Mhm. Have you ever been drunk, kid? Have you ever done Jet, Psycho, or any of those other drugs? The effects of those things are dangerous, and yet they don't happen instantly. Of course not. It doesn't matter if that shit reduces your radiation, the effect it might give you will be even worse. If the tribal's have eaten enough that they decided to worship the fucking thing, then there is obviously something wrong with it. Let me just tell you right now, kid. If you start going wacko and you dare pull a gun on me, don't fucking think for a second I won't hesitate to pull a bigger, and better one back on you."

"…" The girl frowned. Fighting the urge to snap at the ghoul and tell him to get off her case. Really, he was so mean! But, she quietly nodded, knowing that the older male was right, watching as he rolled his clouded eyes and turned his back to her to walk into his office. "I'm not leaving until you help me figure out what the Punga Queen is." She muttered, firmly. Oh yes. She could be assertive if she wanted to!

"So, you are fucking refusing to help me until I give you some information on this fictional Punga Queen? Look, kid, you are more likely to be the Punga Princess than there being a fucking queen in the first place."

"…I could be a princess?"

Evelyn asked with a raised brow, obviously not catching onto Desmond's sarcasm. The ghoul rolled his eyes as an irritated sigh drawled out from his mouth, before shooting a sharp glare at her direction. It quickly made the young lady realize her stupidity, and quiet down for a good few minutes as he made his way toward his office, but it was remedied a moment later.

"…Listen. I need to help you if I want to finish my own mission, correct? Well, I can't help you if I haven't the slightest idea what this Punga Queen might even be. I rather go out searching for it when I'm sure there's not going to be a trap waiting for me. So yes, I refuse to go to it without your help in return!"

She stomped her booted foot down on the wooden floor as she finished speaking indicating that she would not budge.

Though her actions were childish, and not at all as _'assertive'_ as she might have thought they were, Desmond admired them anyways, though only slightly because everything else about the girl annoyed the ever living fuck out of him. But, still. Maybe he had underestimated her. Maybe she wasn't as low as a puppy.

"Fine then, you little brat. Come with me then."

Desmond quickly walked out of the first floor, with Evelyn skipping in tow. They walked passed the sleeping dogs, up the stairs, and down one of the many dark halls of the ancient mansion. The two finally entered a darkened room, it's door hung broken from the top hinge, swaying lazily to the side. The lithe ghoul ran his ruined palm across the side of the wall, after a few seconds a soft buzz could be heard, before the dust crusted chandelier turned on, engulfing the room in a dimmed light.

Evelyn's eyes fluttered for a bit, adjusting to the sudden brightness that stung her vision, before running her eyes across the room. It looked like a personal study. There was a desk in the corner, little nick knacks riddled the surface, such as trophies and some pictures she was sure did not belong to the ghoul himself. Most notable however, was a beautiful marble globe standing by the corner of the desk. It looked nothing like the one she had found back in the Capital Wasteland. The hard plastic one with the faded blue surface that now stood somewhere in her kitchen back in Megaton. She smiled at the memory it brought to her, and how she longed to be back in her small, but safe home.

The ghoul, however, had made his way to one of the many bookshelves that stacked one by one against the opposite wall. Knowing exactly what he was looking for, his clouded eyes quickly scanned the books, before plucking one small journal and turning around to face her.

"Alright, you fucking hussy. All I know about the Tribal's are right here. Back when I first came to this shithole, the Tribal's weren't hostile. They were still bonkers, but they never tried to kill me. Besides doing my own personal work, out of curiosity I started observing them and taking notes. Trying to see if they'd be a threat to me or if they could even help me with my work… As you can see, it's been a long time since I've last touched this thing. After a few entries, I assumed they were of no use and stopped giving a fuck. It's not only until recently that they've… reequipped my interest again. You know, since they've randomly decided to kill me and all…" He trailed off before shrugging his shoulders and handing the leather-bound book down to her. "That's all I know about those inbreds. Other then this, I cannot help you further."

Hazel eyes lit up excitedly as she gleefully took the journal from the older man's decrepit hands. It had been awhile since she had gotten a chance to read, she was looking forward to this. She quickly waked toward the desk from earlier, swatting away the unimportant knick knacks, avoiding the beautiful globe, and placed the journal flat on the desk. "Let's see here!" She talked lowly to her self, licking her fingertip before opening the book to the first page. She was greeted with an unseemly surprise though, and her glee turned into confusion. "Uh… Mister?" She turned around.

The ghoul was staring up at the book case again, seeming to be trying to look for another book, or maybe he was just dozing off. At the mention of his new title, however, the ghouls gaze turned back to her, arching a brow, yet he stayed silent.

Finding it as an indication to go on, Evelyn spoke again. "I… can't read this… _language_."

At this, Desmond's eyes widened a bit before narrowing, a tsk was heard as he quickly made his way toward her. "Are you telling me that you're so fucking simple minded that you cannot even understand how to read _English_? The goddamned language that you flap your lips to?"

"What? English?" She looked surprise. "Oh, no. I can read and write English perfectly fine. It's actually one of the things I excelled in. But this… this writing is all curvy and connected… It's a mess. It's not English, Mister."

"**ARE YOU**-…"

Desmond had to stop himself from snapping at the girl. As much as he wanted to scream and inform the stupid bitch how much of a moron she was, he figured that teaching her something that could actually be useful in her life was much more appropriate, despite his frustration.

"…Alright, princess, listen carefully for I will only say this once. What you're reading there is _cursive_! In England, when I was a lad, we were all taught to write this way. Hell, I'm damn sure even American's taught their children to write like this, it really isn't that uncommon."

As he spoke, he walked up behind the girl pressing his chest against her back to point down at the writing in the book. He hated to admit it, but the feeling of being so close to another human being was… pleasant. Not even in a perverted manner, honestly. Just to feel something other then one of his pups that breathed against him was a pleasant and very much missed sensation. He'd forgotten how welcoming it could be.

Though, it might have felt much different to her, for she tensed up immediately and turned her head to the side to look at him with wide eyes for a minute, before slowly looking back down at the journal where his yellowed finger nail tapped against the written paper.

"If you look very carefully, you can make out the letters." Her hair smelled clean, just like he had thought when he had first saw her through the monitor. It wasn't necessarily a sweet smell, but it was fresh in a way. She smelled like plain soap, with a hint of honey. A rarity in the Wasteland. "They will appear to look quite similar to the English you're used to reading. See? What letter is that?" He mused over the fact that he hadn't insulted her or even raised his voice. He was actually being _gentle _with her.

"It's a D." She exclaimed softly, the smile clearly being heard through her voice.

"For Desmond." He stated. He almost continued to slide his finger across the entire sentenced, almost wanting to continue helping her… But suddenly pulling away and taking a good five steps away from her, instead. The sudden departure made the girl turn to face him, confused. "Well, that's enough lessons for you, kid! The rest I'm sure you can fucking learn on your own, it really isn't that difficult, is it?"

"I guess! So the swirlies really aren't just a bunch of nonsense!"

Desmond twitched, eyes closing in frustration as he once again fought the urge to scream at her. This time, for having the audacity to call his writing _'swirlies'_. But after letting out a breath of air, he spoke again. "Yes, well, take your time. Learn this and you should be able to read the entire thing, you might be able to even write like this some day. Knowing you it may only take five, maybe six years…" He rolled his eyes to himself and turned to walk out of the room. Maybe he could finally get that sleep he so longed for until she showed up.

But alas…

"Desmond!"

Not even ten seconds later, he had to hear her piercing voice once again. He also noticed she had called him by his name, and not by the title she had given him. The little bitch was beginning to get confident. To begin trusting him.

"I got an idea! Why don't _you_ simply… _read _the book to _me_? And I'll just _listen_! I mean, really, you didn't write that much. Twenty pages, tops! And honestly, all I really need to know about is the Punga Queen, everything else is irrelevant!" She grinned. "Then when you're done, I can go off and do that thing you want me to do! This is really much more convenient them me wasting my time trying to learn cursive! Honestly, I am _so_ smart sometimes, I even surprise myself."

Oh, that _manipulate little bitch_! Even the smile he gave him was a sly and mischievous one. He really did underestimate her. Under all that innocence and stupidity, she could really fuck someone over if she tried hard enough.

"…Move!" He growled before striding fast toward her.

Evelyn was rather please to see that he was actually going to go with her plan, for once. She hopped to the side, to give him access to the journal on the desk, and quickly plopped her self down onto the wooden floor, getting comfy. But as she waited, she did not hear the ghoul start to read. In fact, all he was doing was scanning through the pages, rather quickly in fact, much too fast to be able to read."

"Uhm. Desmond? Why aren't you reading—"

"**LISTEN YOU FUCKING BRAT!** I am not going to read you a damned bedtime story, I am going to rewrite this entire fucking thing in a fashion in which an inbred bitch like you can comprehend! And just so you know, smartass, there aren't twenty goddamn pages, there are fifty! Now sit your ass down there and **SHUT THE FUCK UP!**"

The girls eyes had widened the more and more the ghoul insulted and yelled at her. Once he was finished, her eyes must have been the size of saucers. "…" She blinked, finally. And if the ghoul was seeing right, her eyes had watered and her bottom lip surely trembled. Though, she tucked her pout behind her teeth and blinked the tears back to the best of her abilities. Before shrugging slightly, and slowly sitting back until she was laying down. Sprawled across the floor. "…You don't have to be so mean about it…" She muttered, eyes starting up at the dusty and dim chandelier.

"Yeah, yeah." Desmond muttered, eyebrow raising as he turned his attention back to his journal, skimming through it half mindedly. "... I'm not going to lie, kid. I do need your fucking help, which is why I'm being kind enough to translate this shit for you. You better be fucking grateful, do you fucking hear me? I shouldn't be wasting my time with the likes of you. Nothing but an idiotic Wastelander... How you've survived this long on your own is a fucking miracle." He licked his lips, and nodded to himself. Rewriting everything on one of his many terminals would be easy. He was fast at typing, always had been. All he'd have to do was retype the whole thing… he'd be able to do it in two hours, maybe less. "Well, isn't that convenient? I'll be able to make it readable for your dumbass sooner then I—"

She had fallen asleep. Laying on her side, huddled to keep her body heat from leaving her. Usually proper hair, was now sprawled messily across the wooden floor, closed lids fluttered as she dreamed, and soft pink lips were parted, as she snored ever so softly.

The ghoul's eyes widened behind his lenses in surprise. He hadn't expected her to fall asleep tonight, she had seemed so energized a moment ago. Honestly, he had almost _hoped_ she would have kept him company while he rewrote everything up. At least he wouldn't be the only one awake at this hour.

He watched her for a few moments. Clouded eyes softening at how peacefully innocent she looked. And for a moment, he found himself enthralled by her once again. There was something about her that reminded him so much of her. Victoria. His _wife_.

Quickly, Desmond shrugged the memories away. Grunting lowly as he stood up from his chair, looming over her. "…Well, at least one of us gets to sleep tonight." He muttered, soft curse words leaving his mouth in a lazy drawl as he walked out of the room. Only to return with an old blanket. He slowly walked toward her side again, bending over her as he stretched the blanket across her body. Though, not before he noticed the big yellow numbers that knitted themselves unto her blue jumpsuit. _101_. He rose a brow, and gently placed the blanket over her. Something about that was so familiar to him… yet, he couldn't quite remember what it was. He quickly dismissed it though, walking toward the desk and plucking the journal from it's surface before giving the girl on the floor, one last glance.

"…Sleep well, kid."

* * *

**I want people to know, that the next chapters will probably come out just as slow as this one did. There's a lot going on in my life right now. Not anything bad or depressing, but just a lot of things I have to deal with first then to continue writing. Rest assured, I'm not going to give it up. I love Fallout and Desmond to much to abounded it. It will just take some time before I have a writing routine going on for myself. Not to mention, I started working on this chapter immediately after the last one, and it still took this long to finish. I've just have a lot of writers block and such, so of course it hasn't made it any easier on me. :( Still, as I said, I will not give up on this story, so even if it takes months, I promise there will be another chapter out. I'll try to be sooner this time, just for you guys!**

**Shadowfang3000 – Thanks my wonderful Brit friend. *hugz***

**DaLover – Yes, she runs pretty damn fast actually. :D**

**Sick btch from IM – Eee~ Thanks for reading my story dear~ At least one of my buddies actually cares! :D**

**Geeke The Freek – Aww. Why thank you. :3 With the reviews I've been getting lately, that was a pleasant surprise! And yes, I had a sure of a hard time writing this chapter, but I plan on improving. But thank you so much for your sweet comment dear! :D**

**Bitchy Freaky Me – Thank you so much. I honestly couldn't have worded it better myself. It's like, I got myself a body guard, really, thank you so much dear. :) But, you know what they say, haters gonna hate~ :) Thank you so much for having my back though! *glomps***

**Erin Nightshade – Aww, honey~ Thank you so much for reading and defending me. I was a little surprised YOU would read it! :O I feel so loved :D And thanks, lol, I feel like I got a bunch of body guards now lol. XD**


End file.
